3-n-1 Photo Fun!

The first Saturday in December our little family decided to get some pictures made.  We didn't have time to hire someone special and go on location so we did the next best thing and went to Picture People at Columbiana Grande!  There were many things we needed pictures for...Christmas cards, Dylan's 2nd Birthday and Maternity/Gender reveal.  But I wasn't sure if we could pull it off.  First, we tried to get Dylan's pictures by himself with the number 2!

                   

Well I think we only got these two shots because he was whining..."hold you momma" and "hold you dada".  And you know you can't MAKE a 2 year old do anything he doesn't want to do...otherwise total meltdown.  So we decided to move on. Next up...Christmas pictures!  Here are a few of our favorites...

   

And last a few maternity pictures.  I am 20 weeks in this picture...1/2 way through the pregnancy!  It sure is going fast.  April will be here before we know it!

                           

Last we had Dylan just play around with the gingerbread house prop.  I know the pictures look a little cheesy because we are posing...but what I really wanted was to be able to remember this time and celebrate all the great that is happening :)  I think we did just that!


                     

Dylan had a lot of fun running around the gingerbread house.  He would hide and say "peek a boo".  He's too funny :)  The next two pictures are just fun!

         

I love, love, love that little guy!!!

                   

      

It's a GIRL!!!!!

Our family is growing and it's the best feeling ever!  On Thursday, November 29th Dan and I went to South Carolina OBGYN to find out if Dylan will have a little brother or sister.  I really just wanted a healthy growing baby!  And that's exactly what we got!!!

Here SHE is...

Delaney Grace Plyler

Beautiful already!!!

After sharing the news with our family, friends and of course Facebook, I began to feel her kick and flip!  It was so exciting and reassuring to feel her.  To know that she is there, and growing is the best feeling!  Now, I am 22 weeks pregnant!  She's due April 18th.  As long as she's healthy...she can come whenever she wants!  Soon we will be putting her nursery together AND putting Dylan's new big boy room together.  He turns TWO next weekend and after the holidays we will introduce him to a big boy bed in his new room!  Dan and I think it's best to have him in his new room for a while so he doesn't feel like he's being kicked out of his current room.  Besides his room is bigger!  We plan on making a reading nook along with a play area.  I think he's really going to like it :)  Check back to see pictures of Dylan and Delaney's new rooms!  

Family of Four!!!

Dylan can't keep the secret anymore...

This family of 3 will soon be a family of 4!!!

We are happy to announce that Baby D2 is on the way.  The sweet little MISS or the handsome little MISTER will arrive mid April 2013.  Here are some pictures from the first trimester!

This was our little butter-bean at 8 weeks.

This was our little butter-bean at 13 weeks.

In the first trimester, I was feeling pretty yucky!  I found out in August that I was pregnant.  Almost immediately after, I began to feel EXTREMELY tired and I was getting the end of the day nausea.  Soon after school started for the year, I began to get the early morning nausea, too.  Even with feeling yuck, I still managed to CRAVE CHOCOLATE!!!  I would have a tall glass of chocolate milk in the morning and chocolate brownies or chocolate pieces in the afternoon.  I did not have a craving like this with Dylan and I am not a chocolate eater...so who knows!!!  But it's nice that it's October right now and Halloween candy is everywhere.  I have at least 2-3 pieces a day!!!  A big SWEET TOOTH!!

After surprising our family with our super news, I made this to tell some friends from work!!! It was cute and yummy!  Just what I needed to satisfy my sweet tooth :)

Now I am in the second trimester and I feel so much better.  My energy is coming back but my pants are getting tighter :(  Guess its almost time to pull down my maternity clothes from the attic!  At least they are cute and the right season.  I'm really looking forward to all the good and the bad that comes with being pregnant.  I just feel so blessed that God has given me another chance to be a mommy again to another special person.  And I love that Dylan and his brother or sister get to grow up in our beautiful home that Dan and I have made for them!  It fills my heart to know I get to do this all over again!!!!    

My Baby Can Read (not to be confused with "Your Baby Can Read")

So I took these videos and I cannot just let them sit on my computer.  They are just too cute!

I just love how Dylan enjoys books.  Being a reading teacher, it warms my heart and gives me a grin from ear to ear when he picks up a book, brings it to me and says "book".  Then he points to the seat next to me and says "sit", "chair".  We snuggled for a long while today reading his two favorite books.  It was raining outside so it was a perfect rainy day activity.

As of right now, his two favorite books are Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney and Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems!  He also enjoys getting new books from the library.  Mostly the ones with trucks, animals and things he can touch on the inside.

Here is a video of Dylan reading a few of his books after our library day on Monday...

And here he is asking me to read to him...

In this video Dylan is reading Knuffle Bunny...

The next two videos are of Dylan reading Llama Llama Red Pajama.  This book is by far his favorite and you can tell by these videos that he LOVES this book!

 

I love this little guy so much!  He surprises me everyday with what he can do :) 

Water Park with the BOYS!

Did you know there is a water park in Columbia?  I didn't until last week when some friends invited me and Dylan to go Palmetto Falls Water Park at Fort Jackson.  We had a BLAST!  Dylan, Beckett and Ryan played and played!  They all had the best time together.  Here are a few pictures from the best water day ever...

Ahhh...such a sweetheart :)

Beckett, Ryan and Dylan running through the splash pad!

There were several different sections to this water park.  There was a splash pad, a wading pool with a slide, a lazy river, and a few larger slides for older kids to go down.  The boys loved the splash pad and the wading pool.  Dylan LOVED the slide that was in the wading pool.  He went up and down, up and down!  He didn't need swimmies or a life vest.  He would slide down the slide, go under the water and pop back up.  It was just like swim lessons when he learned how to go under the water.  He figured out quickly how to stand himself up, which helped me relax so I could enjoy the water while he played!  I can't believe he's getting to be such an independent little man...sometimes it's too fast, but it's so amazing!

Dylan and Beckett checking out the water!

 He LOVES water!!!

 My little explorer!

He has the funniest surprise faces!  He gets so excited!  I love it :)

If you live close by and want something fun to do for all ages...this is the place to go, especially on a hot summer day!

Swim Lessons for Little Man

Before our little family even moved into our new house with a POOL we were already thinking of pool safety for little man!

Dylan has been around water since he was young.  His first trip to the beach was 4 months old and he squealed when the water rushed past his feet.  Even though he was really LOUD during his first bath, he absolutely loves bath time!  I know he only screamed because the water was cold and I had the baby tub turned the wrong way! I had NO idea what I was doing...but we managed!

Today, he loves water even more!  He wants the faucet on the whole time during his bath so he can fill up his cups and pretend to drink.  He gets on his belly and "swims" and he loves to blow bubbles! When we are all in the pool, Dylan doesn't want to be held and he really doesn't like the inflatable gear I put on him either. He really has no choice with that though!  So the best thing for the whole family was to sign Dylan up for swim lessons!

First, we had to decide where.  Most people recommended the YMCA and Columbia College infant/toddler swim lessons.  I checked out both online and found that Columbia College had several times that we could choose and would work with Dylan's schedule.  (He usually takes a nap from 12-3)  We signed him up and so did his best friend Allie!

Here is Allie and Dylan on the last day of swim lessons!

Dylan and Allie were called the Sea Horses.  Each group had their own name!  Dylan wouldn't cooperate for a picture beside the sign but I got one of Allie!  They really had a great time together!

Say Cheese!

I did get a quick shot here!

There were 4 kids in Dylan's group.  Dylan was the youngest at 19 months old!  There was Alex and he's 2 almost 3, I think!  There was Corry and he's almost 2.  And of course Allie Jane who is a whopping 9 days older than Dylan!  They were all so close in age that they really enjoyed learning together.  And on the last day Alex brought everyone a treat.  CUPCAKES!

Dylan and Allie enjoying their cupcakes!

Throughout the week I could really see Dylan getting better!  I was most proud of his kicking skills by the end of the two weeks.  He learned how to jump in the pool to me and turn around and kick back to the side of the pool!  He learned how to throw a toy in the water, jump in and kick to grab it :)  But, I think he liked dunking the most!  Every time he went under and popped back up, he would have this surprised face that would make me and Ms. Ashton (swim lesson teacher) laugh out loud!  He's such a funny and outgoing little boy and I can't wait to see what he will learn next!

A House, July 4th and An Anniversary...Oh My!

    The Plyler's have moved!!!  Our old house SOLD after a year of being on the market.  Out of the blue we had two different agents call us up and ask to show our house one Saturday afternoon.  That very night we had an offer.  After a few days of negotiation we accepted the offer to buy our house and then we were on the HUNT!  

    We had been looking for a new house for quite some time but really couldn't find what we were looking for.  Our agent, Steve, shared that he was about to put a house on the market that would be perfect for us.  The only catch, it was more than what we were wanting to pay (of course, right!).  It was perfect!  Fell in love and put in our best offer.  Luckily, Steve had spoke highly of us enough that they came to our ball park to play and negotiate!  Just a few short days later...We had a new HOUSE!

    We couldn't be happier!!  Our old house was about 900 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. This house has 2500 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and a POOL!!!  And what comes with a POOL???  That's right, cookouts!

    July 4th was one of our first experiences having people over and entertaining.  Living in such a small house before...we just didn't couldn't have people over.  Now, we want to have everyone over and we do!  Here is a picture of us hanging out in the pool on the 4th. 

    We enjoyed the few 4th of July staple foods...hotdogs, hamburgers and WATERMELON!!!  This is truly a Dylan favorite.  Here's a picture of Allie and Dylan hanging out at the kiddie table together :)

    So as if we didn't have enough to celebrate...a new house, independence day, great friends...and our 3rd Anniversary!  Late that afternoon my aunt Inez came over to play with Dylan while Daniel and I went out for an anniversary dinner to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse!  Yum!  Here we are before we left!

    We had a wonderful day and an even better evening!  We are truly blessed with a new home to grow our family, wonderful friends that can keep us entertained along the way, a sweet little boy that we love oh so much and each other...happily ever after!

Love,

Kristi, Daniel and Dylan :)

Another 1/2 year VACATION!!!

Dylan is 18 months old :)

Last year we celebrated Dylan's 1/2 birthday (he turned 6mo. old on June 17, 2011) at Ocean Lakes Family Campground.  So this year we decided to do the same for Dylan's second 1/2 birthday!!  On June 17, 2012, Dylan turned 18mo. old :)

Here he is last year...

I don't think he really liked it much!

Look at that crazy HAIR!!!

Sleeping on the beach...so cute!

And here he is this year...

He loves the SAND!

Getting so BIG!

Still sleeping on the beach!!! :)

I think he liked the ocean a lot more this year!  But, he has no fear.  Dan and I were busy just keeping his head above water.  But I could tell each day he got better and better.  Here is a video of Dyl playing with Daddy in the ocean!

On Father's Day we went to Ripley's Aquarium.  Here we are going into the aquarium...

                                                      

Dylan enjoyed watching the fish, sharks and sea turtles swim all around us!

We cannot believe how much Dylan has grown in the past year.  It's truly amazing to watch!  We can't wait to see what's next :)

Tomorrow is Dylan's 18 month Doctor's visit...stay tuned for stats!  

My guess is more than 30lbs and tall!

I'm a big boy!

Dylan is growing so fast and learning a lot!  It's truly amazing what he has learned to do, just in the past few weeks.  I want him to slow down...but at the same time I'm excited about what he will do next!  Tonight I took some time to go back and watch videos of Dylan through the past year.  I saw his first cry at the hospital along with his first poop.  I saw his first bath.  I saw the first time he smiled.  I watched him try to lift his head and roll over several times.  I even saw the first time he tried solid foods (rice cereal).  Here is a video of him doing a raspberry sound with his daddy at just 4 months old...

I watched him explore his voice and jump like a jumping bean in his bouncer!  I don't want to forget anything so I am happy I have these videos to remind me!  I just hope nothing happens to this computer! 

 Fast forward to 14 months old...

Today Dylan and I had fun playing with his cars and trucks!  Here's a quick video of us playing "fetch"!

He is such a BOY!  He loves to climb, loves anything that has a button to push, loves to go fast and loves to be outside!  If he's fussy or cranky, all I have to do is take him for a walk down the street and he's as happy as can be!  He is very interested when the dogs bark in our neighborhood.  He will often mimic them and say woof, woof back!  He's becoming more independent.  When we are outside he will let go of my hand and walk off by himself exploring the flowers, grass, and pinecones.  But, he always cuts his eyes back my way just to make sure I'm still there!  When it's dinnertime, he wants to feed himself...which causes a horrible mess but that's okay!  He getting the spoon down pretty good and can feed himself his yogurt (although half of it goes into his mouth, the other half is on his shirt, hands, hair, etc!)  Here is a video of Dylan's mess at dinnertime and he's blaming Brinkley, the dog!

After dinner Dylan goes straight into the bath!  Bedtime is always around 7:00pm and he usually wakes up around 7:00am or later!  He's an awesome sleeper!  We are down to one nap a day about 2-3 hours and play time is anytime he's not eating or sleeping!  Because Dylan had so many ear infections, tubes are inevitable...so think about us next week when we go to our first ENT visit!  

Here are a few pictures of Ryan's 2nd Birthday Party!  We went today and Dylan had the best time playing with the trucks and eating the CAKE!

I'm guessing a Little Tikes Truck is the next big purchase for Dyl :)  He LOVED that thing!

Dylan eating some cake and ice cream with a spoon!  He actually gave me some with his spoon, too!  Already learning how to share ;)

Dylan was the last kid at the table.  He wanted to finish it all!  TOO FUNNY!
I love, love, love this little guy!

Angels Among Us

Have you ever thought about angels looking down on you from Heaven?

Honestly, I haven't until recently...

Here is our Angel Story

On November 22, 2011 I found out I was pregnant!  Daniel and I were on our way out the door to go to a Thanksgiving get together with our friends.  We were both super excited!  We told each of our parents over Thanksgiving and decided to wait to let the rest of our family know as a surprise at Christmas.  Mainly, so we could see the doctor and our little butter bean first!
At 8 weeks pregnant and the week of Christmas, I went to get my first ultrasound and see the heartbeat.  Oh what a sight!!  My doctor said everything looked great and sent me on my way excited and thinking of fun ways to share the news with the rest of the family.  Daniel and I decided to tell the news with Dylan.  After much searching, we found two cute shirts that told that Dylan was going to be a big brother.  He wore his shirts proudly and everyone in the family was super excited that there was going to be a new addition!
Shortly after Christmas I began spotting.  I wasn't too worried about it.  I did the same with Dylan and actually went to the emergency room at 10 weeks only to find a strong heartbeat and a doctor saying "your fine!"  I didn't want to overreact this time so I waited.  After about two weeks of spotting, nothing heavy, I decided to call the doctor just for some reassurance.  Of course they said it's normal during the first trimester but since I was just shy of being in the second trimester they wanted to check on things.
So, at 11 1/2 weeks pregnant I went back to the doctor for my second ultrasound.  The night before, Daniel had asked, "are you nervous?"  I immediately responded, "no, I'm sure everything is fine".  Then he asked, "Do you want me to go?"  and of course I responded, "yes, if you can!"  And of course he came!  I believe, now, that God planned for him to be there for me.  He knew we would need each other because everything was not fine.
We arrived at our doctors office at 8:45 am January 12, 2012.  We were taken back to the ultrasound room by the ultrasound tech.  She began the ultrasound, moving back and forth.  Daniel, expecting everything to be fine, joked by asking the tech to go ahead and tell us if it's a boy or a girl!  Of course we all laughed, but the tech still didn't say anything about the baby.  I began to feel anxious.  And then, she said, "I'm gonna go get the doctor.  I'll just be a minute."  At that moment, I knew.  Daniel and I didn't said a word to each  other.  We waited, holding hands.
Our doctor came in and had the ultrasound tech scan again.  And then, she said, "I'm so sorry Kristi.  We can't see a heartbeat."  She assured us that it was nothing we did or didn't do.  She also shared that she did not expect this...because of the last ultrasound showing a heartbeat and a growing baby.  After Daniel and I took some moments together to cry and pray, we went into our doctors office to discuss what happens next.  Our doctor explained the options available to us but Daniel and I knew that we would want things to happen on their own if possible and on January 16th I miscarried naturally.
Daniel and I have been able to grieve for this loss.  Our friends and family have been super supportive and helpful.  I am amazed at how many people have gone through this and I pray that they continue to share their stories because I know it helped me!
I leave you with the poem Daniel wrote for our Angel baby looking down on us in Heaven...

Sweet Child Not To Be

I was waiting to meet you
To see your first smile
To hold you, to name you
Watch you sleep for a while
To see your first steps
To hear your first sounds
To rock you to sleep
Then gently lay you down
Your Mother and Brother
They waited with me
So eager to meet you
To grow our family
I was waiting to meet you
Now you're waiting for me
And this world that you missed
Seems less important to see
So as you wait there in Heaven
My sweet child yet to be
I hope you smile down
On your Mother and me
And know that we love you
As we wait patiently
To meet our sweet child
Who for some reason
Wasn't meant to be.

-DCP

Thank you for all the love, support and prayers!
Kristi, Daniel and Dylan